Member of the month
Apiphen Sarl: Swiss innovation as natural as bees
Jan 1, 2020
Apiphen Sarl is a young company in Switzerland, a family business, specialized in using beehive products to bring on the market superfoods with a direct impact on the well-being and health of the people, created with respect and care for nature. The Apiphen company, located in AgriCo Swiss Campus for Agri & Food Innovation St Aubin, Fribourg, has as its strategy the development of innovative food products based on patented technologies, thus ensuring sustainable solutions and high quality products for consumers.
Questions to Simona Bisboaca, CEO of Apiphen Sarl:
How did you get started in the Honey business and what is your vision for the company? What does the name Apiphen stand for?
As a student, I had a first contact with the study of phenolic compounds in plants, substances responsible for the colours in plants but also for the defence system of plants. Initially I was attracted to another hive product, not honey but propolis, a hive product created by the bees with mastery, which brings the strength of the plants into the hive to ensure the health of the bee colony. I began to study raw propolis in detail both as in terms of composition and as a processing method, patenting an innovative method of manufacturing it, 12 years ago. The patent was implemented in production in our company in Romania and became a popular product in this market with a great tradition in apiculture and apitherapy, but also on other markets like Germany, France, England and Poland. A characteristic of phenolic compounds is the bitter astringent taste which is not to everyone's taste. In order to satisfy consumers' desires I have turned my attention to honey as a valuable sweetener. Thus the integration of honey into food products became the new target.
Our vision for the development of Apiphen is to integrate my patents and my knowledge in the field of food science and industry, thus responding to consumers' desire to have access to healthy, non-invasively processed and easy-to-use food products.
The name Apiphen represents a synergy between nature and science. Api - comes from the field of beekeeping (apiculture, apitherapy, apis - the Latin name for bees) and phen - comes from the phenolic compounds found in bee products.
What is your USP and how can you differentiate your product portfolio form the competition?
The fact that our products are manufactured using patented production processes is a prime USP, ensuring the uniqueness of our products. We work with only two ingredients: honey and fruit (we do not use flavours or other additives) to make sure that we process the raw materials with great care to preserve their natural properties. A great advantage of our products is the fact that in the production processes we do not use temperatures higher than 42 degrees which leads to a lower energy consumption making the production processes more environmentally friendly. Moreover, the products are very versatile, easy to use, have a long shelf life and do not require special storage conditions.
Among the new products developed, Apiphen Lemonade, contains only honey and lemon with pulp (plus other fruits for a variety of flavours), packaged in single-serve sachets to prepare a "home-like" lemonade but saving time and effort just by adding water. No water transport: the main ingredient of a lemonade is actually water. In Switzerland we have high quality drinking water straight from the tap, so there is no need to carry volumes of 'water' to enjoy a lemonade. This product eliminates the need to make a lemonade from scratch which also involves cleaning utensils and the kitchen, giving more free time for other activities because "Our free time is precious".
The tea sweetener sachet is the easiest way to sweeten and flavour your favourite tea with honey and lemon. An ideal honey lemon monodose anywhere - at home, in the office, on hiking trips, at the hotel/restaurant or even on the plane. To get rid at home of that half a lemon that's about to spoil in the fridge, to reduce the waste of lemons/lemon juice left unused at the end of the day in restaurants and hotels and not generate so much waste, the Sweety Freshly sachet is the perfect dose for a cup of tea.
What kind of challenges have you encountered so far, and what is one achievement that you are particularly proud of?
In the life of an entrepreneur, the challenges are permanent, at every stage, from the idea of a new product to the moment it reaches the consumer. My professional challenges have brought with them a lot of happiness. For me, joy and professional satisfaction is the journey from idea to patent to implementation of innovation in production. All my six patents have been welcome challenges, appreciated at invention fairs with several medals. A special award for me is the one received from IFIA (International Federation of Inventors Associations based in Geneva) - IFIA Glory Medal for the economic development brought by the implementation of patents in production.
A recent challenge encountered in Switzerland has been of a more particular nature, related to legislation. Propolis seems to have a special status in Switzerland and is not considered a food but rather a medicine. I am an expert in propolis, being part of the international working group on the development of standards for propolis and propolis extracts within the ISO framework, so, based on my knowledge in this field, I provided the authorities with the necessary documentation on the food status of propolis, on the basis of which I received confirmation that I had demonstrated the food status of propolis. I am very proud of this first success but we have not yet reached the end of this challenge, the end being the inclusion of propolis as a food product along with honey, pollen and royal jelly in the legislation. This adjustment will be a gain for all Swiss beekeepers, who are currently discriminated against compared to beekeepers outside Switzerland who can valorise without problems one of the most expensive products of the hive. I am in contact with beekeepers, beekeepers' associations and apitherapists in Switzerland who are looking forward to this change.
Can you discuss how much sustainability and taking care of the environment plays a part in your strategic business decisions?
Bees are essential for agriculture and the ecosystem. There is no need for tractors to produce honey, no need for large machines to collect it from the hives, no use of fertilizers, water and other resources, no generation of waste. There are also very few steps from hive to shelf, making honey not only one of the most natural products, but also one of the most sustainable. Beekeepers' care for bees is supported by the consumption of honey, but especially by diversifying the use of honey through the development of innovative foods.
The decision to use fruit and honey as a valuable ingredient in our products ensures that we are part of a sustainable food system. Through our dedication to valorizing the properties of honey while protecting the well-being of bees and nature, we contribute to a sustainable future. We value the importance of bees and are looking for innovative ways to integrate honey into our products by developing processing methods that involve reduced energy and water consumption. The stability of products over time at room temperature also leads to reduced energy consumption in storage.
Where do you see the biggest potential for growth and opportunities in the future?
Our products are intended for both B2C and B2B, so the potential for growth is high given the current trend to reduce consumption of products containing refined sugar but to use natural sugars such as fruit and honey.
As a valued member of S-GE, how can we best support you in your international expansion and what do you value the most of your membership?
Although we are a young member of S-GE, we had access to information about the Swiss business environment, meeting members and sharing our entrepreneurial expertise. We welcome the support of the S-GE team in identifying suitable international markets for our company, attending trade fairs as well as legislative information in areas of interest in our international expansion.
